This invention relates to a parcel waybill, having a clear waterproof cover sheet and a document package comprised of multiple insert sheets, of the type that is typically affixed to the outside of a parcel.
Waybills of this type are generally provided with a cover sheet at least partly coated with an adhesive, and a document package comprised of pressure sensitive transfer layers interposed between various insert sheets. This arrangement provides the user with multiple copies of material that the shipper has inscribed on the top surface of the waybill. The transfer layer may consist of either a layer of carbon paper positioned between the sheets or the use of insert sheets consisting of carbonless copy paper that incorporates micro encapsulated ink pellets on one of the surfaces of the sheet.
When a waybill of this type is affixed to the package, the waybill and package define an envelope enclosing the insert sheets. The clear cover sheet forms the front face of the envelope and the rear face of the envelope is defined by the face of the parcel itself. A release sheet that adheres to exposed adhesive-coated portions of the cover sheet may be provided on the back face of the waybill, and this release sheet is removed when the waybill is to be fastened to a parcel.
Waybills should meet several criteria, among them ease of manufacture and convenience of use. With respect to the former, the waybill should have a minimum of layers and adhesive coating applied to the layers should be applied evenly rather than in a pattern. With respect to the latter criteria, it is desirable to provide a waybill that may have a sheet that remains affixed to the waybill, that bears the information that the user has printed on the waybill. This should be accomplished with a minimum of inconvenience on the part of the user.
Previous attempts to provide the user with a permanent record affixed to the package have included the use of a weatherproof cover sheet on which it is possible to write, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,984. This solution imposes a relatively high manufacturing expense. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,826 a waybill is disclosed wherein a cover sheet is fully coated with an adhesive and to which may adhere the uppermost layer of the documentation package. However, this device suffers the disadvantage that the user cannot inscribe his information on a waybill wherein the cover sheet and document package (and release sheet, if desired) have been assembled; the user of this arrangement must assemble the waybill following the inscription of the information.
It is the object of this invention to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages of conventional waybills.
More specifically, the present invention provides a fully assembled waybill with a plurality of layers assembled in order. Relevant information may be typed or handwritten on a cover sheet (or an outer fly sheet) of the assembly, and this information is transferred onto an exposed outer face of a first sheet by way of a carbonless copying layer thereon. The information is similarly transferred to one or more insert sheets. In this exemplary embodiment, the first sheet remains permanently affixed to an inner face of the cover sheet by means of an adhesive coating on the underside or inner face of the cover sheet. The fly sheet is intended to be removed and retained by the shipper.
Upon removing a release sheet provided as a bottom layer under the one or more insert sheets, the waybill may then be affixed to a package, with the side edges of the cover sheet that extend beyond the underlying document package adhered to the package. In this way, the cover sheet and associated portion of the package define an envelope that encloses the document package. The one or more insert sheets are removably retained within the envelope.
In a second embodiment of the invention, a film fly sheet is interposed between the cover sheet and the first sheet of the package, the film fly sheet being comprised of a clear plastic layer that adheres to the pressure sensitive layer of the cover sheet. In this second exemplary embodiment, the first sheet is visible through the cover sheet but is not adhered to the cover sheet and may be removed together with the insert sheets.
Accordingly, in one exemplary embodiment, the present invention relates to a parcel waybill comprising:
(a) a clear cover sheet having an inner and outer face and front, rear and side edges, the inner face being coated with an adhesive;
(b) a first sheet under the cover sheet, the first sheet comprised of carbonless copy, i.e., self-contained paper adapted to provide a visible image on the upper surface thereof in response to the pressure thereon, the first sheet having front, side and rear edges, the side edges being recessed from the corresponding edges of the cover sheet;
(c) insert sheets adapted to be inserted under the first sheet, at least one of which sheets comprising a self-contained paper sheet, the insert sheets having front, side and rear edges, the side and rear edges thereof being generally co-extensive with the first sheet; and
(d) a release sheet positioned under the insert sheets and having front, side and rear edges generally co-extensive with the corresponding edges of the cover sheet.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.